"Minestrone means “big soup” in Italian and there as many variations as there are cooks. I’ve used some of the classic minestrone vegetables, but my friend Elena says don’t hesitate to add any vegetable your heart desires. Serve this with lots of freshly grated parmesan and hearty cornbread to build momentum."

Ingredients

1 tbsp

extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp

butter

2 clove

garlic, minced

1 large

onion, diced

1 medium

carrot, sliced

1

celery stalk, diced

1 small

potato, diced

1 can

diced tomatoes (15 ounces)

1 tsp

oregano

1 tsp

salt

3 cup

chicken or vegetable broth

3⁄4 cup

corn (fresh or frozen )

3⁄4 cup

green beans (cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)

1 cup

kidney beans (cooked or canned)

1⁄4 cup

chopped fresh basil

to taste

black pepper

to taste

Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large soup pot over medium heat add olive oil, butter, garlic and onion. Sauté until onion is soft.

Add carrots, celery, potato and sauté about 5 minutes more.

Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and chicken broth.

Bring heat up to simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes.

Add corn, green beans and kidney beans and simmer for another 8-10 minutes, until green beans are tender.

Stir in fresh basil, black pepper to taste and serve with freshly grated parmesan on top.